Castle in the Sky
by Yanslana
Summary: A Ranma and Final Fantasy VII Crossover, with mentions of Sailor Moon ABANDONED
1. The End of the Beginning

Castle in the Sky 

_A Ranma 1/2/Final Fantasy VII Crossover (With mentions of Sailor Moon)_

_Disclaimer: Not mine._

The End of the Beginning 

Space.

It's so...

Vast.

Filled with millions of stars, shining in their beauty, yet so empty, so dark. So beautiful, and so terrifying.

Ranma sighed and looked away. It was different from what he imagined. What he expected. Which really wasn't anything at all in the first place.

It felt strange to him, after months of debate, hours of careful consideration, to finally leave Earth, his home planet, the world he had been born in, the world that nurtured him, and made him what he is now.

"A penny for your thoughts." A light, harmonious voice.

He turned around and looked into deep violet eyes.

"Just thinking about the journey." _And reminiscing about the past._

The two stood, side by side, on the command deck of the dominion star fleet, along with three hundred galaxy cruisers, containing a totally of fifty thousand Saturnians, under orders of Neo-Queen Serenity, to venture into the universe, and to find a new home.

-----------------------------------

The spirits of this world...

It was beautiful.

Harmony.

Peace.

Tranquillity.

Yet it wasn't theirs to take.

"We are a peaceful people. We love the planet, we nurture her, and in return, she cares for us. Your people do not, _would not_, understand her as we do. You will destroy her. You realize this, don't you? You who among all your people, are the only one who feel her presence. Please, leave us."

Ranma nodded. "We will. But we need to rest and refresh ourselves, it has been a very long journey."

The High Priestess watched him. And nodded.

-----------------------------------

Pain.

Anger.

And hatred.

Always the hatred.

Once, she was beautiful.

She was powerful.

She was feared.

She would have had more.

Much, much more.

The Earth, the Moon, the Solar System, the Galaxy, the Universe.

And... Endymion. 

But now, only the hatred remained.

So much of it, consuming, driving her. A fragment of her former self.

Sometimes, during her travels from planets to planets, finding new sources of power to devour, she would glimpse the image of a girl with long blond hair and pretty blue eyes, and with it, always comes the hate; a flash of memory, perhaps? But the images slowly faded in time. Until all she had left was the hate.

Nothing else mattered. Only the hate, and the need to destroy.

_Who?_ She sometimes 'wondered'.

And now she knew.

She felt, she followed, she found.

And she would infest, conquer, and destroy.

-----------------------------------

" ...took us by surprise. Fifty thousand people. Down to a mere two thousand. Our fleet all but destroyed, all means of communication completely knocked out. No way to escape. No way to send for help, or even to alarm the Queen of our situation." He spoke softly. Tired. So very tired. 

"Help us, please." A plea.

"You need not have asked. The monstrosity deceived us, infected us, changed our brothers and sisters into the creatures that killed your people. It lies in the crater, feeding on the energy of the planet, preventing her to heal. We were fools to have welcomed it." She nodded. "We will fight alongside you, if you will have us."

A smile, and a glimmer of hope.

"Thank you."

-----------------------------------

The glaive felt heavy in her hand.

_Breathe in. Breathe out._

She moved silently. Indigo eyes scanning the vicinity around her. She was born with a destiny, her path set out to her before her being. Power, vast power, has been give to her since the dawn of her existence. The power to destroy the world.  Even though the need for her to do so never arrived, nevertheless, hatred and fear shadowed her because of the power she wields. 

Alone, she has always been alone.

Until _he_ came.

She smiled briefly.

_For you. For me. For us. For our future._

She jumped passed a group of pinkish, needle-like creatures and made a sharp turn, intending to take her business with the leader, she came to a stop.

"Papa?"

The white-haired man nodded and smiled. Warm and friendly. "My daughter, my precious child, how you've grown." He held out his arms. "Come, give your father a hug."

Tears burned in her eyes. Her mind a maelstrom of emotions. There was a lump in her throat, choking her.

"Papa!"

She ran towards the man.

The sound of her footsteps.

The sound of one body hitting another, a little 'oomph' sound, a hug.

The sound of her laughter.

The sound of her surprise.

"Papa?"

The sound of the glaive felling on the ground.

The sound of flesh torn apart, of bones breaking, tendons snapping, blood splattering.

And all was silence.

-----------------------------------

He wept for her until he had no more tears to shed. She was his friend, sister, teacher, student, advisor, companion, lover.

He was adequate in the art of healing, but he was not the Queen, he could not bring back the dead.

She was gone. Forever. 

"Will you be able to do this?" The priestess asked. "The creature needs to stay within the crater for our plan to work."

He nodded.

"Yes. But will the price be worth it?"

"It matters not. At least this way, the planet has a chance to survive."

"For the planet..."

_And for you. For me. For us._

He cast one last glance at the sleeping child.

"I am ready."

-----------------------------------

Pain.

It's all he felt. Every inch of his body, screaming at him.

Pain.

_Breathe, just breathe._

He did. And he stood. 

_Cocky smile, don't forget the cocky smile._

Time for round number fifty-eight, or is it fifty-nine?

"Is that all you've got?"

"Perhaps. But can you kill me, when I look like this?"

Akane's face looked back. Full of mockery.

-----------------------------------

"Perfect..."

_Breathe in._

"Shi..."

_Breathe out._

"Shi..."

_Breathe in._

"Hoko..."

_Breathe out._

"Dan!"

_Breathe..._

And the world was green.

-----------------------------------

Green was a nice color. It's better than red. Because red symbolizes blood, and red was all he _could_ see a while ago. After admiring the green around him, he decides that he definitely prefers it over red. _Strange… so much green…_

Green was everywhere, burying him within its veiled embrace.

_The Cetra have struck._

_Escape. _Get out before their full power blows him to kingdom come._ But…  so tired, so weary._

Green was everywhere.

_Why is it so cold here? Where did the ice come from? What happened to the grass?_

Green.

_Tired._

Green.

_Weary._

Green.

_So cold._

Green was calling to him. Murmuring his name. He heard her voice. Musical. Like the sound of those silver bells in the palace, tinkering in the wind. She was telling him to go, to get away. But he was so tired, so weary, so cold...

And everything was green. Until it finally disappeared into the void.

A.N. Feeling confused? Bewildered? Completely puzzled and stumped on the plot? Don't worry, you're suppose to feel this way. That's why it's the prologue. ^_^ One thing: The Cetra were the native inhabitants of The Planet, instead of explorers who stumbled upon it. 

C & C Welcome at: yanslana@yahoo.com

Editor: The 17th Immortal

www.geocities.com/yanslana


	2. Awakening

Castle in the Sky 

_A Ranma ½/Final Fantasy VII Crossover (with mentions of Sailor Moon)_

_Disclaimer: Not mine._

**Awakening**

Darkness.

Beautiful, majestic, and utterly void darkness. 

Here, he was at peace. Here was where he belongs. Here was where he can rest his tired body, his battered mind. Here was where he can mourn for her, until the end of time and beyond.

_For you. For me. For us. For our future… no more.._

Ranma slept. 

The ice surrounded him. Curled with its wintry embrace, he dreamt only of the void. 

Purposelessness... His dedication taken, his work sabotaged. And he would sleep, heal, and close himself to the world, as the world has closed itself to him.

An eternity came, and passed. 

Finally, Ranma's mind, muddled and confused, disturbed after its long slumber, began to dream of the world.

-------------------------------

LOCATION: ICICLE VILLAGE 

Professor Gast stomped his feet, feeling somewhat annoyed.

As much as I value the greatness of scientific research and development, does it have to be this cold here?

Icy wind blew, and the lab coat, while long and covered him from neck to shin, the thin fabric it was constructed from offered him little to no resistance against the cold. _Remind me later to reprimand myself. Idiot, coming outside without your winter coat, you'll turn into an icicle before you finish the research._

"Professor! Over here, Professor!"

Gast sighed and looked toward the voice. A young man, covered from head to toe by a thick layer of Jumping[1] hide, ran toward him. His aide, in charge of the expedition when he couldn't spare himself from his work, whether it be documenting some new, bizarre monster they found in this barren land, to the daily reports he must make to their generous sponsor, the Shinra corporation. Generous, that is, as long as they continue to produce results. Adequate results, which will no doubt further the company's main objective---make more money.

The young aide skidded to a stop in front of the professor, both hands on his knees, back-bent, and panted, his body making its displeasure of the heavy running exercise in an oxygen-deficient environment evident.

Gast resisted the urge to sigh, again. And shivered when another blast of wind blew by, he eyed the aide's Jumping coat with envy, a clear reminder of his own pea-brained-ness.

"What is it?" The professor inquired in a bored voice. "Did another icicle get stuck in the driller? I told you, just crank up the engines, it'd melt on its own. These new models Shinra sent us are Mythril-platted and highly resistant against the cold, specifically designed for our purpose here." Gast frowned at the young man disapprovingly, "As my aide, you of all people should know that I cannot be disturbed for _every_ little thing, there are reports to fill out, documents to be recorded, samples to be analyzed, which is the reason that _you_ are in charge so _I_ can do them." His tone has changed through out the conversation from bored to severely annoyed. _There we go. That'll stop the lad from bugging me with the petty details every time an issue comes up._

The young man stood up, still taking deep gulps of air, looking wide-eyed at the professor. 

"If there's nothing else, I'll be in my lab..." Gast nodded at his aide, his mind already picturing the cozy little cabin, with a nice, warm fire burning nonstop in the hearth. He was taking his second step toward his private sanctuary when the aide finally came to himself and spoke.

"Professor, we... we didn't have any trouble with the machine." The youngster gave a loped-side grin, "I think we found something!"

The professor froze, all thought of his discomfort forgotten. "Show me."

-------------------------------

For over two thousand years, Ranma knew only of the void, of the utter emptiness. 

Sightless, soundless, motionless, mindless. Oblivion. A barren paradise.

Yet, this peace was not to be.

Whispers of reminiscences began to tease his mind, soft and gentle. They increased swiftly, both in volume and magnitude. And with them...

Darkness was replaced by swirls of unidentifiable colors and shapes...

Silence by distorted vibrations...

Sensation of awareness came, dragging his spirit away from death, and back into the world of the living.

Light.

Whiteness.

Sound.

Ambiance.

Impression.

"... scanner... someth... there!"

The humming of loud machinery.

"Holy shi... finally..."

Exclamation of human voices.

"Cut it... careful... damages..."

Inkling of reposition.

"... fascinating... completely..."

Indication of examination.

"...condition... stasis... lab... Nibelheim...Midgar…"

Senses dulled again. Tired after the exertion when the body has been deadened for so long. Sleep came, and it would not be another decade… or three, before the mind truly awakens.

-------------------------------

**Memorandum to Head Science Dept., Shinra**

**From Professor Gast, Chief of the Northern Geological Expedition**

**Location: Nibelheim**

**X Year, X month, X day:**

**Specie: Unknown; found. **

The expedition has been successful. At approximately 500 meters below the original focal point, we have found the remains of unknown specie. Said specie was found inert in an at least 2000 year old geological stratum, encased in ice. Its genetic makeup unlike anything we've found on this planet, although the being's body has suffered heavy internal and external damage to several vital organs and bodily appendages, the being is identified to be female in structure, code name JENOVA, and procedures has be taken to transport the being to the main lab located at Nibelheim for further research.

*Note: Jenova may be originated from an extinct race of being known as the Ancients. Historical records conclude that they were the native inhabitants of the planet before the existence of humans. It appears to be dormant at the time being, although positive feedbacks were received during some of my initial experiments. However, if the Ancient is 'awake' at present time, it has not manifested any form of communication that we recognize.

**Specie: Human(?); found.**

Another creature, humanoid in appearance, was found in the near vicinity of specie: JENOVA, also encased in ice. After undergoing biological testing, it has been found human, though it generated several abnormal readings that our present mechanism could not identify. Said being appears to be a young male of Wutaian heritage. Additional testing on the male's brainwave structures revealed said male to be dormant, and like JENOVA, he has also undergone severe mutilation of both internal and external assortment that are fatal to a normal human being. While he has currently lapsed into a deep coma, steps has been taken for a transfer from the main lab located at Nibelheim to the central laboratories at Shinra Headquarters, Midgar, to be placed in an advanced stasis tank until his condition improves.

*Note: It is my belief that this human was communicating with the Ancient when, for reasons currently unknown to us, both were severely wounded and frozen by whatever event that has caused the Northern Continent to turn into the barren land we see today. Yet through a stroke of luck, the two were 'preserved' by the oncoming ice, which acted as a primitive stasis chamber for the two, thus the reason that they are still 'alive' today. It simply amazes me that a human is able to survive in such primitive conditions, although I suspect the odd readings we've gathered from him played a crucial role in his continued existence. I shall look forward to the day he awakens; it is my personal belief that this person may be the key to the many mystery of the planet.

------------------------------- 

**APPROXIMATELY 30 YEARS LATER...**

Green was everywhere. 

It pressed against his body, seeping into his pores, peeking under his eyelids, oozing into his mouth, and trickling down his throat. Green tastes horrible. It stung his eyeballs too.

"Urg..." The words' original intent was lost in the green bubbles. It was an uncomfortable experience, he decided after a moment, to try to speak in the greenish liquid.

Ranma felt weak, his bones made of jelly, his muscles dough. Soft and squishy, not an ounce of strength, no matter how hard he willed it.

He was disturbed, he knew it. It was the reason he woke, something had happened, he doesn't know what, only his body reacted and dragged his mind from the long slumber it had lapsed into.

One eyelid twitched, then the other. Slowly, the right one peeled upward, no more than a mere centimeter, before it squeezed itself shut, disliking the feeling of the green liquid against the sensitive areas of the eye.

_Ouch! That stung!_

The left one moved, braving the needle-like sensation, slowly prying itself open, one millimeter at a time. Until all that was left was the needles, and the endless green.

"Urg..." Another wave of bubbles, tickling pleasantly against his face, they ruffled his bangs, and escaped through the air holes at the top of the tank.

Ranma ignored the bubbles, and concentrated on the world. Endless green because fuzzy green, then green-with-colors-that-aren't-green, and finally into things that are not green, but is covered with a layer of green through the liquid that was still jabbing his eyes.

And along with sight, came sound, however distorted.

"...oud... omeone... in here..." A soft, symphonic voice.

"...the #%@$... is this... human ...?" A rough, heavy voice.

"Why...familiar…Sephi…?" Young, masculine, full of confusion, underlined with terror.

Ranma paid them little attention. He was focused on a point of his glass prison. Watching it intently.

A hand, garbed in red, fingerless gloves rested on the glass. Pale fingers extended, long and slim, delicate looking, but he can make out the telltale calluses; this hand belongs to a fighter.

He squinted. Narrowing his eyes, his line of sight traveled upward, following the hand to an arm. Firm muscles, covered by milky skin, and he took a smooth turn to the right. A white tank top, stretched, covering two... he turned straight up, no need to linger _there_. And time stopped.

Blood rushed in his ears, the sound louder than any waterfall, caused by the escalating rate of his heart, pounding his chest to the point of bursting. His throat constricted, denying his body the entrance of oxygen, fed through a tube that was jabbing uncomfortably in his mouth. His eyes burned, vision dimming, until the face was all that's left.

Violent emotions raged within him, screaming the impossible. He could feel the bubbles tickling his body, the pressure expanding out and away from his body, power rolled within him, seeking escape. Pressure building, and building, until his glass prison finally gave in.

*chink*

A silver of a crack appeared. As if it has a life of its own, the crack enlarged, expanding from its origin like the web of a spider, it grew, and grew.

The sound of glass shattering, of liquid Mako bursting from the stasis tank, of a body slamming against the glass, causing more to shatter, the sound of coughing, as the body tries to expel the liquid out of its lungs. The sound of heavy breathing. And...

"Firefly...?" [4]

The cry of a desperate man, suddenly presented with a shining ray of hope.

Yet, it was not to be.

The face looked back, surprise shimmering in the eyes. Slowly, it shifted. Violet eyes brightened until they turned into crimson, purplish-black hair lightened to dark brown, then lengthened, passing the chin, rolling down the shoulders, and came to a stop around upper thigh, the ends tying themselves together loosely with a maroon band. The face's expression was one of confusion, mixed with a hint of fear, but the most important of all, the eyes held no recognition.

_Stupid,_ he cursed himself. _Stupid, she died. Don't you remember? She died because YOU weren't there to protect her._

Tears burned, he refused to let them fall.

-------------------------------

THE ENTRANCE TO SHINRA HEADQUARTERS 

Tifa nibbled her lower lip. It was a gesture she had picked up while training under Zangan, a sign of nervousness. By the time she realized that the casual gesture had grown into a habit, it had been too late to quit said habit.

She made a conscious effort to stop, sneaking another peek at her companion. Golden hair framed a chiseled visage, gravity-defying strands poked up, down, left and right; _Chocobo-haired freak,_ she remembered, it was one of their favorite taunts back in childhood. How she regrets those days, when she had her gang of followers, and ignored the loner, the outsider.

_Is this how he felt, back in the days?_ She wondered. To have someone you care about, yet doesn't return your feelings? She kicked herself mentally, _Tiferet Lockheart, now is NOT the time to brood. Aeris is a nice person, and she's in trouble because of us; rescue her first, /then/ think about..._

Firmly squishing all thoughts of nostalgia, and the hint of a strange, heart-wrenching emotion, all the way to the back of her mind, Tifa resumed her study of the fair-haired young man.

Glowing blue eyes, a sculptured face, slim figure, lean and taut, elegant in its masculinity. Pretty, in an exotic way. Clothed in dark-purplish attires, and literally radiated pride and indifference. The gigantic broadsword only intensifies the feeling of formality and invulnerability.

So different. Changed so much from who you were. And you make me feel unsure...

"Well," her dark-skinned friend roared, "Let's get this show on the road!"

"Wait!" Tifa exclaimed. "You can't mean to tell me you're just gonna run in there and start shooting!"

"Well, you got a better idea?" Barret retorted. "This is the quickest way!"

"There has to be some better way! A quieter way." She looked towards the silent young man. Begging silently, willing him to look at her._ Please Cloud, give me some time, let me think about this, about what we're going to do, please..._

"There's over sixty floors, if we sneak in, it'll take too long. We'll go through the front door and use the elevators, the sooner we get to Aeris, the better." The blond spoke, his eyes on the gigantic building. "Come on." He ran inside.

"Yeah! Let's rumble!" The large man bellowed and raised his gun arm in anticipation.

Yes, of course. Aeris comes first...

Taking a deep breath to calm her jarred nerves, and to repress the sensation of tears in her eyes, Tifa blinked several times before following the two into the foundation of Shinra.

Aeris... comes first... before me...

-------------------------------

**THE 67TH FLOOR**

"Did he just say...specimen?" Tifa asked softly, placing her hand on the glass. "Poor thing..." The large, red feline beast ignored her, choosing instead to huddle into itself.

She tapped the glass, trying to get a better view of the beast; it was unlike anything she had ever seen before. Roughly around the size of a Kalm Fang, if not larger, the beast's body covered with fire-red fur, and a blazing-crimson flame burned at the tip of its tail, while several tattoo-like markings can be seen on its legs. 

_I wonder what kind of creature it is?_ Tifa inquired mentally. _And..._ She blinked and took a closer look at the creature, _Are those Mythril Armlets on its legs!? And Materia inserted on its headdress!?_

_What? How..._ Whatever question she had disappeared as she heard a strangled, half-scream. She turned swiftly, and...

"Cloud!" The brunette quickly ran to his side and kneels down to her companion while her dark-skinned friend looked over her shoulder with anxiety.

"Jenova... Sephiroth's... so... they brought it here...?" The blond mumbled.

"Huh?" Barret blinked and looked into the dome next to him before stepping away quickly. "Where's its goddamn head?!" He snapped, unnerved by the monstrosity within.

Cloud was silent. His eyes had a glazed look, as if he was in a trance. A moment later, the ex-SOLDIER shook himself, and attempted to stand up with some help from Tifa and Barret.

"Let's go." No explanation was offered, and none was requested. After all...

Aeris comes first...

They ran past the dome and a series of crates. After dispatching two Moth Slashers and a 3rd Class SOLDIER, looting the Carbon Bangles as Cloud made a few experimental sweeps with the Hardedge he 'acquired' whilst the team stopped in front of a research tube to prepare themselves. [3]

"Geez," Barret wheezed, taking the moment to relax on one of the crates near, "All the running, this ain't my cup of... aaarrghhh!" Whether it be that the wood was too ancient and rotten, or simply because Barret was a man of weighty constitution, the crate creaked and collapsed into itself, leaving the gun-armed man dazed in a heap of rubble.

"Barret!" Stifling a giggle, Tifa, along with the help of Cloud, pulled the now thoroughly disgruntled man up. Huffing and muttering dark curses under his breath, the former leader of AVALANCHE begins to dust himself off.

After kicking away some of the splinters littered over the floor, the team made a pleasant discovery.

Picking up the green orb, Tifa examined the Materia they found hidden under the debris.

"Poison. Here, Cloud," she tossed it to her blond companion. "It might come useful later on." She scanned the room, _Maybe there are more..._

Her inspections lead her to the test tube near them. It was filled with some sort of green goop, liquid Mako, she supposed. During her lessons with Zangan, he had given her a brief overview on the history of Mako, including its uses in a liquid form... _Something about stasis, and preservation, I think… hmmm…_

Placing her hand on the glass to scrub off the layer of dust collected on the surface, the dark-haired young woman tried to get a closer peek at its contents.

Eyes looked back.

She gasped.

"Tifa?" Noticing her distress, the blond inquired, "What's wrong?"

"Cloud! There's someone in here!"

"What the #%@$! Another monster? Is this one human?" 

His eyes glued to the stasis tube, Cloud murmured, panic evident in his tone of voice, "Why does this all seem so familiar... this… Nibelheim." He clutched his head, willing the pain to go away.

"Cloud? Are you..." Whatever the young woman was going to say was lost in the sound of glass cracking, and shattering under her hand. "Gah!" A backflip, completed more on instinct than reasoning, saved her the fate of being drenched with the green goop, or body-slammed by the life form kept within the stasis tube.

The young man, yes, it was a young man in that tube, coughed and made several retching sounds. After vomiting a large quantity of... _ewwww..._, he looked up, and into her eyes.

"_Firefly..._?" An inquiry of some sort, full of sadness and hope. It sounded like a name. Unsure, she looked back.

A moment later, he dropped his eyes. "You're not her..."

Confused, Tifa examined the man in front of her.

Black hair. Oliver skin. Not to mention quite naked. She blushed a little. Typical Wutaian features. Although... _He has blue eyes._ That was new. They sparkled with luminosity from the way lights reflect, different from the shimmers of inner flame like Cloud's. And there was something about the way he spoke, his accent...

She was interrupted from her musings by Barret, who thrust his gun arm in front of the man's face. "Alright, you, who the #%@$ are you and why the #%@$ were you in that #%@$^@& tube? You work for Shinra?"

"Barret!" Tifa exclaimed. "What are you doing? He could be an innocent!"

"Yeesh Tifa, I'm just trying to find out what's going on."

Cloud spoke up. "It doesn't matter, we have to leave, Aeris' safety comes first." the ex-SOLDIER said. "We can come back for him later." _IF we can come back at all, was left unsaid._

Tifa nibbled her lip again. "But Cloud, we can't just leave him here." 

The blond gave her an exasperate look, and sighed in defeat. "Wait here." He turned and ran back, returning a moment later with a bundle in his hand. SOLDIER garment. Probably taken from the 3rd Class SOLDIER they had slain earlier on. He threw the outfit on the young man, who was trying to stand up by supporting himself with his hands, "Put these on, then hide. We'll come back for you later."

And with that, the spiky-haired young man stepped into the service elevator nearby. "Come on, we can get to the next level through here."

With a last glance at the young man, Tifa and Barret quickly followed.

Aeris comes first...

A.N. I had fun writing this chapter. Seems like I'm finally getting the hang of it. Cool. ^_^ 

*holds out a box of cookies* 

I'll give you, my dear, innocent readers, the same choice I've given to others. Guess, guess what's going on. You know how to contact me. And if you guess right, I'll give you a cookie! ^_^

And, one more thing:

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! *takes a deep breath*   BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! *hack* *cough* *choke on her cookie*

Water... Somebody...

[1] As you've no doubt realized, I've changed the historical layout of Final Fantasy VII to better suit the fanfic.

[2] For those of you who don't know, Jumping was the man-sized rabbits that dwelt near Icicle Village.

[3] Remember the layout of the 67th floor? The stasis tube is where the save point was, and the crate Barret sat on was the box containing the Poison materia.

[4] It came to my attention that some people don't even have a clue on what Hotaru meant in Japanese. -_-

C & C Welcome at: yanslana@yahoo.com

Editor: The 17th Immortal

www.geocities.com/yanslana


	3. To See Her Smile

Castle in the Sky

_A Ranma ½/Final Fantasy VII Crossover (With mentions of Sailor Moon)_

_Disclaimer: Not mine._

**And to See Her Smile**

Life is brimming with wonder. 

A world of endless probability, of the unimaginable, the intangible substance that weaves and knits into an intricate pattern of design called fate.

Considering the essence of a single mortal is but a speck of fiber in the weaves of fate, and its sole purpose for existing, is to follow the pattern of inevitability. 

As the great tapestry writhes and contorts its bulk in to the shape of history, the course of securing the fabrication is, and forever will be, solely manipulated by the will of men. 

What is. What isn't. What will be. What will not be. 

Such is life.

As for some, it is their volition, their decree, to shape the tapestry into nirvana, a utopia of their own partiality. And ultimately, to be recognized as God among the world of men.

_Mother, I am ready._

-----------------------------------

He stood, shakily. 

With trembling hands, he snatched the uniform the blond-haired man tossed him and begins the painfully slow process of putting them on. The shoulders were too tight, the chest too small, the hips too snug, and the legs too short. Plus, it was stained red with fresh blood by the torso. The wet patches stuck rather uncomfortably to his skin, a clear reminder of its previous owner's mortality.

What... how... I'm... alive? 

Brain overloading from the simple function of thinking, Ranma collapsed again, and was content to put his head between his knees and rest.

Ages passed. And he was roused from the abyss by the sound of machinery. Raising his head, he was treated to the sight of a large, red c-c-c-c... feline creature, which was imprisoned within a glass tube, being raised to the level above.

Danger...? Have to help her! Silence... Something is wrong.  What's... happening to me? No one? Silent... Too quiet... Alive... I'm alive...

Focusing on the last thought, Ranma got up again. He feels weak, as if he hasn't moved for a very long time. The girl, she was familiar to him, even though he knew he had never seen her before. Why? _Why does she remind me of you? What happened? I don't...?_

Ranma was so deep in thought, that he didn't even hear the sound of heavy footsteps approaching.

"Hey! What's going on here?!"

Ranma looked up, and into the barrels of three sub-machine guns, held by Shinra reinforcement troops as they answered the alarms that have been broadcasted all over the headquarters.

-----------------------------------

_Attack._

Sword held sideways, the tip pointed down, making a sweeping gesture up.

_Contact._

Pulling it out, ignoring the sound of flesh and blood squishing. Now is not the time to be squeamish.

Dispassionate eyes, blank visage, nothing is what it seems.

He had known love. He had felt love. And he had loved.

Or so it seemed.

He looked at Tifa as she delivered a roundhouse kick to the machine's head, while Barret jams his gun arm between the plates of armor that covered its midriff and let loose a hail of bullets.

The three moved back and watched the machine, a Mighty Grunt, spasm as electricity danced across its body, before shutting down with a dull 'whoom-ing' sound.

"Come on, this way." Words; spoken. They were running again. And he was once more lost within.

Taking the moment as they duck around a corridor to avoid yet another squadron of Shinra security, he looked at Tifa. Dark brown hair falling all the way down to her knees, tied with a simple ribbon. Soft bangs covered a heart-shaped face, leaving only the hint of a glitter---from the tiny rain drop-shaped earring she wore---among the waterfall of coffee-colored mane.

He feels... felt?… something... for her. That much, he is certain. 

When he was in Nibelheim, still a boy, all he had ever wanted was to be with her, to care for her, and to have her _acknowledge_ him. To have her eyes on him, to hear his name on her lips, to see her approval of who he is, and to be welcomed within her arms. And it had hurt, hurt so much in his loneliness when she did not see him the same way; he had wanted a simple acceptance, but she had her gang of friends, and he was nothing in her eyes. 

He still wanted that... He had thought the feelings he harbored for Tifa was love, but that was before...

Green eyes... Familiar...? No! Don't...

It was the eyes. The way they drew him in. Calm, peaceful, serene. He could lose himself in them and be forever content.

Aeris is beautiful. She had an aura of grace shining within her. He had felt it when they were alone in the church. She made him want to protect her from the world, to bundle her up and disappear from Midgar, away from the Turks, away from Shinra, away from the damned slums where everything is so dark and gloomy and oppressing. She belongs in the sun, like her flowers.

_Is this... love?_

It didn't matter that he had known her for less than two days, it didn't matter that she was a complete mystery to him. It didn't matter that helping her meant certain death, as they have challenged the most powerful corporation on the Planet.

What matters, is that he wants to see her again. To see the way her lips quirk up, to see her face soften, to see her eyes, sparkling with merit.

He wants to see her smile.

-----------------------------------

Her cheek stung.

Even though it had been sometime since she was placed in this glass cage; hours since Hojo's eyes roved over her body, as if examining a prize possession; and over a day since she watched Sector Seven's destruction, being carried away from the colossal graveyard by the Shinra helicopter.

Her cheek still stung.

She places a hand on her face; feeling the soft, smooth flesh. Not marred, yet hot to her hand, she could still feel the sting of pain, as if he had slapped her just moments ago.

Tseng, how could you? You follow the orders of murderers, bloodied your hands, for them... Why? And you ask me why I would not return to them...

She sighed and dropped her hand. It was useless, completely useless now. She was in the hands of her worst nightmare, and _he_ had been the one who delivered her here. And it had hurt---still is---so much more than she thought possible to be hurt by this Turk. [1]

"Ah, my dear, I trust you are ready for our experiment?" A slimy voice, disoriented by the glass barrier, said to her.

Aeris looked up into Hojo's beady black eyes, and gulped.

Cloud... Help me! 

-----------------------------------

"Well?!" The faceless mask demanded.

"Awww Captain, cut the man some slack, he just fought off the rebels, and he's wounded too." One of the troopers said as he shouldered his weapon.

"Yo man! You all right? That wound looks pretty bad." Trooper #2 pointed at the wet patch on Ranma's uniform. "Don't worry, I think I got summat for that..." He then begins to sort through his belt, where several vials of strange colored liquid were strapped on.

"Ugh..." Ranma replied, confused as he accepted the vial of green liquid from the soldier and stared at it.

"Well? Drink it up!" The captain barked out. "Don't recognize a potion when you see one? Where did you graduate from SOLDIER?!" The man proceeds to grumble from behind his mask, although the words were unintelligibly, the tone was unmistakably hostile.

I... What? Ok...

Ranma uncorked the vial and dumped the contents in his mouth. It tastes bitter, similar to the green stuff he was vomiting earlier. _Oh ewwww..._ Yet immediately, strength rushing into him, coursing down his throat and splitting apart to tingle underneath his skin. Muscle control returned, and he got up more steadily on his feet.

"See, good as new! Man, you musta be sensitive to Mako, ya healed right up!" The first trooper poked at the wet patch of cloth on Ranma's torso and nodded. "Bet'cha feel pretty good right now, me and my buddy spiked it with some good ol' Hyper, make ya feel like your in a buzz... WhichIshouldaprobablykepttomyself, hehehehe, sorry sir." He trailed off, bowing apologetically, as the captain glared at him from behind the mask.

"Hmph, see me after drill today, soldier." The captain gave the trooper another ray of death glare and turned to Ranma. "Alright, _sir_," The word was spat out, "Which way did they go?"

"Huh?" And he gave an ever-intelligent reply.

"The rebels! Which way did the rebels go?"

"Ah, girl, red ribbon, guys, blond, upstairs, wait here, metal elevator..." Ranma blurt out, trying to work his long underused jaw.

The three soldiers shared a look between them before the captain took the communication device hanging from his shoulder and thumbed it on.

"Attention all units, attention all units. Code Blue-0037, Code Blue-0037, location Level 68, I repeat; Code Blue-0037, location Level 68. Over and out." He returned the device back to its previous position and spoke again.

"Come on. I just called in more reinforcements from _SOLDIER_, we're pulling back."

Ranma nodded, unsure of himself. _What have I gotten myself into now?_

"Alright captain! Does that mean we're off-duty?" The other trooper asked.

The captain glared at him for a moment, "No! We still have patrol duty, unlike you SOLDIERS, we regulars have double duty," He jerks his head to Ranma, "And we'll need to take you to the SOLDIER division, since your own unit's been killed by the rebels, now get moving!"

And a very bewildered Ranma, accompanied by three Shinra Troopers, left the site he slumbered for over three decades.

-----------------------------------

Aeris gulped again nervously. Her weapon was taken away earlier, so were her Materia and any accessories she had that might aid her in escaping. She was helpless.

Wincing, she watched Barret being tackled on all sides by the three little hench-creatures who came along with Hojo's latest creation. The little buggers were poisonous and swift, they hopped around, taking pot-shots at the combatants, forcing them to divide their attention from the repulsive monster: HO512.

It was humanoid in shape, with tentacle appendages and a gaping jaw filled with sharp teeth on its shoulder. Shrieking the most horrid noise Aeris had ever heard, it threw itself at Cloud, who was occupied with getting the smaller creatures off of Barret.

No! 

And it was body-slammed by the red beast, narrowly missing Cloud.

"Tifa!" The blond yelled at the girl, who was busy trying to beat one of the little critters into submission. "Take Aeris and get out of here! I'm counting on you!"

The brunette gave him an unreadable look before nodding quickly. "We'll meet you on the 66th Floor." She turned to the flower girl. "Come on!"

Aeris gave her bodyguard one last glance. "Cloud... I knew you would come for me..." She whispered and went with Tifa. 

-----------------------------------

THE 66TH FLOOR 

"So.... Um.... What's going on?" Ranma mumbled from behind the three troopers, shaking his head to clear out the last of his dizziness.

"Ah, my friend, ya gotta strange accent, Wutaian, aren't 'cha? We don't get many people like you around here. Not before da War, and especially not after it." One of the troopers grinned, although Ranma could not see his face, the amusement was easily heard from his voice. "You must be new, never see ya around drills before. We are the Shinra troopers! Royal devotees to President Shinra, founder of the Shinra Corporation, and as the royal devotee Shinra troopers, we are here to perform the great deed of the Shinra Corporation! We are here to..."

The captain smacked the soldier loudly on the back of his helmet. "We're on patrol duty, and to get the SOLDIER back to his division. Now shut up."

"Awwwww..." The solider rubbed his head. "That hurt, cap'."

"............" Ranma just stared.

The other trooper patted Ranma on the shoulder. "Don't worry 'bout it, we regulars are a lot more relaxed than ya SOLDIERs. None of that special training bullshit, sure we get paid a lot less, and no special respect and promotions for us, cap'n here's just grumpy 'bout it." He looked over Ranma. "And we need to get you a mask too, 3rd class don't got the special privilege, can't have you running around here showing your face, ain't uniformed."

It was at this precise moment, when Tifa and Aeris showed up.

-----------------------------------

"We can wait for Cloud at the 66th Floor. It's pretty quiet there, so it should be safe." Tifa yelled out as she ran down the stairs from the 67th floor, she had, against Cloud's wishes, gone back to see the mysterious Wutaian, and was strangely disappointed, when she found him missing from the laboratory.

Aeris nodded, huffing a little, she was not quite use to such strenuous exercise, selling flowers was never this tiresome.

The two turned around a corner, and came face to face with a small band of Shinra troops.

"Rebels! Get them!" The head trooper yelled. He unshouldered his machine gun with the other two troopers and pointed them at the two. "One move, and BAM."

"Tifa..." Aeris looked to her fighter companion, and the two shared a secret look between.

"Oh wow, cap'n, this is our lucky day!" One of the troopers exclaimed, he nudged at the captain, and grinned at another soldier, whom, strangely, wore no mask, nor was he armed. "Hey, isn't this great! We just captured the rebels, oh boy oh boy, we're all going to be promoted... Hey!"

Taking the distraction during the soldier's ramblings, Tifa attacked. Spinning across the floor, she delivers a vicious high kick to the leader's head, snapping the man's head back with a force strong enough to hear a loud 'crack', taking him down. Then, ducking down as the second soldier opened fire in her direction, she dropkicks the one who had been yapping earlier. Springing back on the floor with her hands, she tackled the third one who was firing away with his machine gun, slamming him headfirst against the wall with a loud 'crack'.

Smiling with grim satisfaction, she made a move to grab the soldier's weapon, and a 'chink' sound stopped her in her tracks.

"Not another move, girl." The captain said from behind her. His mask half-shattered, with bits and pieces of plastic imbedded in his face, and a trail of blood steadily making its way down his jaw line.  Pointing his weapon at Aeris' head, the captain ordered. "Turn around slowly and remove your weapon and Materia, or else this gir..."

Whatever the threat might have been, it was never spoken as Ranma grabbed the barrel of the weapon from the side and pulled it out of the captain's arms, slamming the butt into the man's jaw, knocking him senseless as the captain crumbled on the floor.

"What in the… Traitor!" The first trooper Tifa knocked down scream as he scrambled up. He pointed his machine gun at the general direction of the three and let loose streams of wild firing.

"Look out!" Ranma chucked the machine gun into the trooper's face, intending on clobbering the trooper, as he himself jumped across the room, and tackled the two women to the floor, barely missing the deadly projectiles.

The brunette, Tifa, went down with an "oomph" as his right hand grabbed her by the shoulder and shoved her down. Ranma himself landed on top of the other one.

Instinctively, he covered the girl's body with his own and frozen, until the sound of metal spinning at high velocity slamming against breakable plastic is heard, followed by the breaking of soft facial bones was heard over the sudden decease fire of the machine gun.

Three down, none to go...

Ranma smiled grimly, he looked down to the girl.

"Hey... you alrig..."

And he looked into green eyes.

-----------------------------------

"We are the Cetra, and you are violating our domain without our consent."

"You... you can hear her?! How is this possible! You are not a Cetra! Who... WHAT are you...?"

"We are a peaceful people. We love the planet, we nurture her, and in return, she cares for us. Your people do not, would not, understand her as we do. You will destroy her. You realize this, don't you? You, among all your people, are the only one who feels her presence. Please, leave us."

"This is called a Materia. It contains the spirit of my people. Do you feel its power?" 

"Welcome to the Temple of the Ancients. And the opposite of Holy... Meteor."

"You need not have asked. The monstrosity deceived us, infected us, changed our brothers and sisters into the creatures that killed your people. It lays in the crater, feeding on the energy of the planet, preventing her to heal. We were fools to have welcomed it. We will fight along side you, if you will have us."

"It matters not. At least this way, the planet has a chance to survive."

"Ranma... what happened to your wife is fate, you cannot change the past. But please... live. If not for yourself, then for the child. Promise?"

-----------------------------------

"Promise." Ranma whispered softly. He watched the woman huddling beneath his, lost within reminiscence of a long forgotten past. One hand, tentatively, brushed the her cheek, a sigh of affection.

The woman started a little at the contact. She looked back, confusion evident in her eyes. The two lay motionless, gazing at each other, feeling familiar yet foreign sensations coursing through their mind.

"You!" Tifa grabbed Ranma by the shoulder and hauled him up and off of Aeris; breaking the bond shared between the two. "What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you to stay back?"

"Umm... I... um..." Ranma stared at the brunette, unsure of himself. Once again, he was truck by the terrible sensation of longing. _Firefly..._ From his side, Aeris got up and bows to him.

"Thank you for saving me." She blushes. "I'm Aeris."

My name is Ranma Saotome, sorry about this...

Ranma gave his pigtail a nervous tug, "I... my name is..."

A clapping sound distracted the three.

Tseng continued to clap, with Rude stood silently by his side, gun in hand. "Another traitor within Shinra, disguised as a SOLDIER. AVALANCHE has gotten quite resourceful." Tseng smiled, but his eyes were cold, "Now come peacefully, and we would not need to waste unnecessary time."

Ranma simply stared at the man. 

"Mousse...?" He voiced the question. But no, it was not. The face was wrong, even though it looked similar. The eyes too cold, the jaw lines too hard, the lips too pressed, the posture too stiff. Even during the China-man's most terrible rages to destroy 'the womanizer who stole his Shampoo', Mousse never had a calculating look like this. [2]

Tifa went into a basic fighter stance, putting Aeris behind her; she glared hatefully at Tseng, the faces of her ex-AVALANCHE companions flittered in her eyes. "Murderers!" The brunette spat out.

"Very well." Tseng nodded as the elevator behind the three 'dinged' and opened, revealing a squad of 3rd-Class SOLDIERs within. "By the orders of President Shinra, arrest the rebels."

The SOLDIERs poured out of the elevator, and the battle begun.

What was, supposedly, a simple skirmish and seizure, of two young woman, one weaponless, the other a proficient hand-to-hand fighter, and one 3rd-Class SOLDIER, has turned out more challenging than the SOLDIERs thought to be.

For one of the rebels, the traitor SOLDIER, AVALANCHE spy, demonstrated that he was more than the equal of his fellow ex-teammates.

Fists flew; punches were thrown and blocked with ease.

Bodies slamming against each other, battling for strength, both of will and power.

Forms of attack, of techniques, ancient yet executed with fluidity, effective and overwhelming.

Aeris slammed her staff down forcefully, digging the bottom into a SOLDIER's abdomen as she moved over to Tifa, who was busy beating another into submission with her fists.

"Tifa, who is he?" She voiced her question as the brunette immobilizes the SOLDIER through a well-placed knee between the legs.

Tossing her head, Tifa replied distractedly. "I don't know Aeris, I don't know."

Ranma grabbed another SOLDIER's sword by the handle, using the man's momentum against him; he pulled the man off of his feet, and into another one who was about to tackle Tifa from behind. Not wasting a moment of time, Ranma followed up the motion with a spin-kick to his left, sending two more SOLDIERs down, tangled together in a heap.

He was a martial artist… but he was also, only human.

Muscles spasmed, veins throbbed, heart convulsed, lungs burned. He felt another wave of nausea wash over him, and more of the strange, bitter tasting green goop surging from the back of his throat.

Nevertheless, he attacked, and defended. 

"Impressive." Tseng frowned at Ranma, looking over him carefully as the man moved fluidly through the squad of SOLDIERs.

"Rude." A simple, one-word command, yet through years of partnership, easily understood. The bald man nodded. 

A shiver ran up Ranma's spine. _Something is happening..._ He socked another soldier in the face, the helmet cracked under the pressure of his attack, as the force behind the punch threw the masked figure back, tangling among his own fellow SOLDIERs. Temporarily sans an opponent, Ranma looked over to the source of his discomfort.

A circle of green light has surrounded the bald-headed man as the Turk held up his handgun to his chest. The other suit, noticing Ranma's stare, gave him another small nod and smirked.

_What the..._ The air around Ranma sizzled and crackled, and suddenly, before he fully understood the familiar sensation of his discomfort, bolts of pure power slammed into his body. The martial artist screams in pain as his skin and flesh, soften through years of dreamless sleep in Mako, char and burn from the attack. 

_Lightning... in the room... How? Materia? In a human's hand? Cetra... High Priestess...?_ Ranma questioned as his knees buckled, and he collapsed face-first to the floor. Coughing, Ranma tried to push himself up feebly with shaking arms.

"Hmm... stubborn, aren't you." Tseng said as he brought the butt of his handgun down to Ranma's head.

And everything went dark.

[1] *shrugs* What? I like love triangles, ummm, I mean, love rectangles? No wait... love hexangles? @_@

[2] Don't ask... just... don't ask. Because I have no idea why... _

Thanks a whole bunch to Zenaku and Shaidaraman, y'all are great! ^_^

C & C Welcome at: yanslana@yahoo.com

Editor: The 17th Immortal

www.geocities.com/yanslana


	4. Dreams of Silence

Castle in the Sky

_A Ranma ½/Final Fantasy VII Crossover (With mentions of Sailor Moon)_

_Disclaimer: Not mine._

**Dreams of Silence**

Experiences have taught him to identify the bad days after waking up. The earliest memory Ranma recalled, was waking up on the road with a hungry stomach, and discovering that his father had either eaten all the food, or blew the money for breakfast on a heavy dose of sake the night before. Later on, the memory was replaced by screaming villagers, policeman, or whatever law officials there are, wielding pitchforks, clubs, swords, or any sharp objects capable of inflicting great pain, running after him and his father. Eventually, that memory was replaced by buckets after buckets of cold water, and after that... He shook his head wistfully. _Better, better to bury that... the past belongs to the past._

However, back to the present time, one thing he is absolutely certain of, is waking up and counting no less than the muzzle of 10 sub-machine guns pointing in his face, pronounces the beginning of yet another bad day.

_Well... at least they don't have cats..._ Ranma thought wryly, his lips twitching into a half-grimace, half-smile.

"Get up." One of the soldiers grabbed his arm and roughly hauled him to his feet while another took out a pair of handcuffs. Shaking his head, Ranma allowed the soldier to cuff him. Dizzy and sick are his current predicament, as if small sparks of electricity are coursing through his veins, in a rather unpleasant way. 

"The President wishes to see the rebels, I trust you will not make any trouble."

Looking up, Ranma saw the two suits from earlier standing to his side. The bald one, who had done the lightning trick, still has his gun out; not _quite_ pointing it at him, while the one who has just spoken is examining him with a critical eye. Noticing Ranma's attention, the man gave him a small nod. "My name is Tseng, this," He jerks his head in the bald man's direction, "Is Rude. We are the Turks." Seeing Ranma's confused look, Tseng adds, "We are... the head security of Shinra, in a matter of speaking."

Ranma nodded slowly and winced as the soldier behind him squeezed down the cuff, the steel breaking a layer of skin on his wrists. Judging from their stance, he had blacked out for no longer than five to ten minutes. "Wha..." He croaked, coughing, he cleared his throat before speaking again, "What do you want?"

Tseng shrugged, "Like I said, President Shinra wishes to meet you, and after that, you will be either thrown in prison or publicly executed for treason. It is not my concern on which."

"You..." Just then, the woman, Tifa, was haul up along Ranma's side. "Murderers!" She spat out. "All those people in Sector Seven!"

"If you put it that way." Tseng shrugged again, his face a mask of indifference. "Take them away. Rude and I will ambush the rest of the rebels here." He added an afterthought, "And keep an eye," he nodded at Ranma, "On him."

-----------------------------------

**67TH FLOOR**

"Hmmm..." Professor Hojo pushed up the spectacles to the bridge of his nose and stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Professor." Tseng called out from behind him as the Turk made his way around the boxes of crates. "The rebels have been captured. And we have retained the Ancient."

"Hmmm..." Hojo made a dismissive gesture. "All the rebels?" He bent down, picking up a shard of broken glass from the floor, and examined it carefully before turning to Tseng. "All... four of them?"

Resisting the irresistible urge to swallow under the scientist's scrutiny, Tseng masked his face to one of smooth calmness and nodded towards the direction of the glass cage where Red XIII was kept previously. "And the escaped specimen."

Hojo nodded, stroking his goatee. "Hmmm, how interesting." He tucked away the piece of glass carefully, "The Ancient, put her in a holding cell here."

"Here?" Tseng inquired. "With the rest of the rebels?"

Hojo looked at Tseng over his spectacles before turning away. "Go now. Oh," Offering no explanation, he made a vague gesture towards the broken tube he had been examining, with liquid Mako spilled all over the floor, and broken glasses littering everywhere. "Get someone to clean this up."

Tseng snaps to attention. "Yes Professor." He relaxed and looked at the mess, noticing its state for the first time. "What happened here, Professor?"

Hojo stopped and gave Tseng a secretive smile. "Oh... nothing in particular, just an... old specimen of mine, not important."

-----------------------------------

TOP FLOOR 

Ranma offered his blond companion a wry smile and a shrug as they step into the room, 'escorted' by Rude. Looking somewhat distracted, Ranma added, "I followed along, and got tagged."

Cloud blinked, and turns to Tifa, "Tifa, you got caught too? Where's Aeris?"

"In a safe place." Smiling, the balding president of Shinra rubbed his hands together like a gleeful child with a stolen piece of candy. "She's a very special girl, you know. The last of the Ancients, one who will lead us to the Promised Land."

Ranma blinked...

The Promised Land...

The Planet, you see, is very special. We, the Cetra, once explorers of space, found her, and helped her. We harvest her energy, and turn them back into her. In turn, she grant us this... The Promised Land.

Shaking his head, he examined this newfound piece of memory, tuning out the babbles in the room. _The Promised Land... Cetra. What is this?! Something... I died? She's o quiet, so quiet... _

And the realization hit him, the tiny piece of discomfort he had felt ever since his awakening understood, as sudden as lightning that had struck him down from before, and hurt just as much.

"This meeting is over." President Shinra said. "Take them away."

"No!" Ranma yelled. This, this is what's wrong! Heads turned, and Rude made a move to grab him, but Ranma wretched himself away. "No! What have you done?!"

Stumbling across the room, he ran to one of the large windows behind the balding man, half slamming his body as he pressed his face against the cool glass, looking down. The eerily beautiful city, a world floating in the clouds, haunted by the green smoky mist, emitted from the eight gigantic reactors, as they suck up the Mako beneath the ground. _Lifestream._

"She's silent." He whispered softly. Frustration welled up within, as well as a sense of grief, but quickly replaced by a burning hot rage. With nary a thought, Ranma snapped the manacles that bond his hands, turning around to face the room, he glared at the approaching Rude, his eyes darkening to a stormy gray-blue, stopping the man in his tracks.

Raising a shaky hand, he pointed to one of the reactors. "The Planet, lifestream! Do you have any idea, on what you have DONE?! She. Is. Dying!" Anger overrode his bodily weakness, and Ranma took a step forward, whispering softly, his voice hoarse. "She's dying, and all our efforts and sacrifices…"

He took another step, ignoring the giant cat's quiet murmur "So he can hear the Planet." and the black man's cry of "If ya could break 'em, why din'cha do it sooner!". Turning to the President of Shinra, Ranma glared at him hatefully. Unsure of his next course of action, yet, he knew that the Planet's slow destruction is somehow connected to this man through the elaborate speech he gave earlier.

"What have you done." A statement, quiet spoken, raw with the cold fury of the martial artist, he wanted, needed, to do something. What, he does not know. _Kill him? Hurt him? Revenge for all of those who died to protect this world in vain?_

Another step, and the room suddenly exploded into chaos. SOLDIERs, troopers, Mighty Grunts filled in from every exit, as his fellow companions were ushered none too gently to the sides. A shot was fired, and then another, the sound of machinery and the smell of metallic perfumed the room.

His body flowed without the aid of his conscious. Dodging the spray of bullets, then a punch of his own, with enough force to slam the trooper into the opposite side of the room, impaling the unfortunate man on the sword of a SOLDIER.

A haze of red filled over his vision. _Blood._ Yelling, screaming, flying bodies. The floor vibrated as the hum of machinery increased. Snarls. A beast, no... two, three, more. Fangs, sharp claws, and a sickly sweet smell. Pain, and a burning sensation down his arm. Poisoned? Perhaps, but the martial artist has gone too deep within his rage to recognize the damage.

Letting his mind wander, Ranma fought, for himself, for the peace-loving Cetra who died to protect the Planet, for his love, who was killed because of it, and for the Planet, who received all their sacrifices, yet, decaying slowly, in the hands of humans… and it was his fault.

Your people do not, would not, understand her as we do. You will destroy her. You realize this, don't you? You who among all your people, are the only one who feel her presence.

-----------------------------------

"I love you, you know." The woman, no, girl, she was merely a girl at that time, twirled a strand of dark purple hair around her finger, looking at everywhere but him.

"I know." He sighed softly. "I'm sorry."

"What for?" She shrugged, trying to look casual. "I'm the one who's… stepping out of line, sempai."

"Firefly... I..." He paused, at loss. "You know I can't accept it. Akane and I, we loved… we love each other. We'll have children who'll inherit the dojo, and we'll grow old and die, together. And our family honor… it's…" He shrugged helplessly.

She smiled softly and dipped her head, hiding the tears beneath her bangs. "I know..."

"I want to help you, Firefly. You, and your future queen." He holds out his hand. "Friends?"

She took the hand and shakes it. "Friends... and Ranma..."

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"No… nothing."

He never understood what she meant, until everything was over.

-----------------------------------

_Who...?_ She questioned absentmindedly, the grotesque tentacles wrapping around her main torso elegantly as she probed.

_I feel... power. Cetra? No... Moon... Him..._ She reeled back in shock, before gathering herself again. 

_Of course... him. Still alive... yes._ Tapping her 'chin' thoughtfully, Jenova 'smiled'. It wasn't a pleasant smile. Crooning softly, she reached within herself, and begins to plan her attack.

Make me proud, my son... and kill him! 

-----------------------------------

The sun was shining, so warm against his face. But he was cold, chilled to the very marrow of his bones within.

"Do you hate me?" The woman tucked her purplish-black hair behind her ears. "I love you, you know."

"I know." He whispered softly and rubbed his face. "I don't hate you. I love you."

"Then..."

"I hate myself for loving you, Firefly. Akane, she... we…"

"She's gone, she died, so long ago..." The woman smiled bitterly, only her eyes reflected the sadness she felt, and held up the large glaive in her hand casually. "With this, I can bring death and rebirth to planets. But I am also only a woman in love. Do you blame me? For wanting this? For doing what I've done?"

"No. I don't. I blame myself."

She had cried afterwards, it made his heart break. 

He, in turn, loved her, cherished her. And buried the past behind him, paving a road to their future, but deep within him, he had never forgotten.

-----------------------------------

Child... my child... awake! And free me! 

Puppet, my precious little puppet.

Come, and join us...

"Ah!" Cloud woke with a start. "What... the doors!"

-----------------------------------

Ranma blinked. Looking around, he notices that he's sitting on a grassy hill, overlooking a grand canyon. Exotic flowers bloomed; the songs of birds chirping can be heard around him. Everything was beautiful, serene, and...

Arms wrapped themselves around him from behind; and a warm, soft body is pressed against his back. He smelt lavender and jasmine, feeling the silky hair tickle his neck.

"I missed you." Ranma turned and wrapped an arm around her elegant shoulder, tugging her over to face him, and looked into her violet eyes.

"I missed you too." She whispered softly, planting a gentle kiss on his lips.

"I thought I had lost you forever, Firefly."

"I will always be with you, Ranma. Never forget that, my Consort." She leans against him, and he was content. 

Centuries passed, though the world had never changed in his eyes before he spoke again. "What will happen now?"

She smiled and snuggled into his chest. "Saturn will have a guardian, or rather, the Guardian of Saturn shall have a ward." She holds up a hand to his lips, silencing his protest. "Shhh... you have your duties, Ranma."

"But where?" He kissed her on the head softly. "Who ever she is, she's back on Earth, with Serenity. And I not... you and I... I'm not… I'm yours."

"No..." Violet eyes watched him, smiling. "She's here. And you'll protect her, like you protected me, won't you?"

Watching her, drinking in her beauty, he nodded, resigning himself to his fate, destiny, and his choice. "I will."

And she laughed, those bell-like laughter he missed with all his heart. "Thank you. And Ranma..."

"Hm?" He inquires.

"A storm is coming." She said softly, and gasped.

The sky darkens, the wind howled, and the cold hit him. Tearing into his flesh, ripping away the warmth they shared.

He hugged her to him, trying to protect her, and suddenly, she was gone, gone from his arms, gone from his sight. He was alone, in the darkness.

Gasping, he turned around, again and again, but darkness consumed him, strands of silky shadow attached themselves to his body, wrapping him in a giant cocoon, choking him as an eerie musical crooning vibrated around him. 

"Firefly?!" He screamed, "Hotaru?!"

Glimpses of ghostly green orbs flashed, slitted orbs. And the ominous feeling of menace surrounded him, pressing him down, choking him. 

Ranma turned again, half-paralyzed with his ancient fear. He caught a flash of glowing green eyes, a wisp of flowing silver hair, an angular face, the texture of thick leather, the soft hiss of metal sliding against metal.

"Mother... hates you."

The sword impaled him, and Ranma's world explodes into pain.

He did the only thing he could.

Ranma screamed.

-----------------------------------

"Eeep!" Aeris yelped and removed her hand from the martial artist's shoulder. Hopping back as he bounced up from the floor with a choking gasp. The man blinked owlishly in the light, his eyes dilated, with beads of sweat running down his face. He coughed, groping around blindly for a moment, before standing up.

"You had a nightmare, are you alright?" She inquires while Tifa peeked from the door.

"I... wha? What happened?" Ranma shook his head, a bit dizzy.

"You were knocked out, and sent here." Tifa said softly, her ruby eyes darting around, searching for hostile movement. "We all were." She tapped the adjacent wall, "The door to Cloud and mine cell was unlocked when we woke, Cloud's leaving ahead with Red XIII, the rest of us are covering up."

Aeris nodded as she strapped on her bronze bangles. "Our weapons are kept here too, do you need anything?"

"Oh no," Ranma shook his head, wiping away the sweat. "Let's go."

-----------------------------------

The doors were unlocked...

Following the trail of blood, as well as the giant feline beast's urgings, Cloud ran.

The subtle sensation of foreboding enveloped him. _A storm is coming... And we are swept within it... What will happen now, but to keep on fighting? Nothing... as long as Aeris is safe... it will be all right._

His thoughts turned back to the Wutaian. Without a doubt, the man is powerful; he had snapped apart the manacles without the aid of materia or any kind of enhancement. A valuable ally, one who can help him accomplish his mission... _Mission? What mission?To save Aeris, isn't that what we came for?_

Flashes of memories enveloped him...

Green liquid, tanks, needles...

"Speciment C... Failure... The Reunion..."

No! 

"Cloud?" The great cat rumbled out his name. "Are you alright? You seem distracted."

"What?" The spiky-haired mercenary blinked and nodded. "Nothing, it was nothing... the blood trail leads up..."

-----------------------------------

Ranma couldn't help himself. He stared at the sword.

It was magnificent. Long, over 7 feet in length. Curved, with a slightly dipped head. Sharp, gleaming metallic, except the parts covered in red, gleaming a dim crimson in the light.

There was no doubt about it...

It was the sword from his dream.

_What does this mean?_

_Sephiroth?_

The Promised Land.

_A storm is coming._

The martial artist shook his head lightly; there will be time for questions, as well as answers, later.

Mother... hates you.

-----------------------------------

Ranma sat on one of the reception desk, his feet dangling slightly, and stared back at the ruby eyes.

The hall was utterly still, neither sound nor movement except the two of them, waiting... a silent menace, intangible, yet choking at the very air. An uncomfortable feeling, oddly familiar... it was like the time when he...

"Who are you?" The question wasn't loud, but the echoes vibrated across the empty room.

He jumped a little, startled out of his private reverie. 

Tifa's lips twitched in amusement before her face assumes a mask of seriousness. "You were in that tank, and the way you fought... you snapped the cuffs like twigs and punched a SOLDIER _into_ the wall, and..." She held up her arm and gestured to the manacle-like hand guards on her wrist, specifically pointing to one of the orbs inserted in the slot. "You don't seem to have a Materia of any kind."

"Ranma. My name is Ranma Saotome."

She waited for more, but received none. "Ranma Saotome... that's... Wutaian, isn't it?" She spoke slowly, tasting the words on her tongue.

 Ranma hesitated, "Perhaps."

"Perhaps?" Tifa arched an eyebrow, her interest piqued, "What do you mean per..."

"There will be time for questions, later..." Ranma spoke quickly, giving her a small smile before whipping his head up to the direction of the stairs suddenly.

"It's been taken cared of," Cloud nodded at the two, taking the stairs two steps at a time. "Let's go."

-----------------------------------

_Kuso..._ Ranma shivered slightly as he hops into the tiny truck. Taking a deep breath, he spoke, and was quite proud of the fact that his voice wasn't _too_ shaky. "Will this fit?"

"One way to find out." Barret grumbled from the Ranma's side as Red XIII leaped into the truck, squeezing himself in, and not quite thrusting himself in the pigtailed martial artist's face. The giant feline gave him a quizzical look as Ranma bit back a yelp, before tucking itself securely in the truck.

Ranma gulped and begins to chant the mantra in his head, _It's not a cat, it's not a cat, it's not a cat...This is going to be a long ride…_ He smiled wryly, ducking as the truck crash through the window, landing non-too-gently on the road, before speeding off swiftly away from the Shinra blockades.

Grabbing the railing tightly, he offered a tentative, semi-smile at the big red c-c-ca... feline, who is still examining him curiously with its large, beastly eyes. Suppressing a small shudder, Ranma looked up, and gulped.

Behind the truck, a mob of troopers followed on motorcycle, closing in fast.

_Yep,_ He sighed as the blond swordsman revved the engines, straying back to block the first wave of attacks. _Definitely going to be a looooong ride._

-----------------------------------

Kuso... I'm right. Ranma growled softly as he ducked another stream of flame. _What are these things, and where did they come from?! Where are the people? Where are the... Cetra?_ He frowned slightly in guilt, and glanced over the pink-clad girl, who is with an air of absolute concentration, casting a healing spell on the red feline.

_Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn. Damnit!_ He swore and peeked from behind the truck, rubbing a forming bruise on his cheek absentmindedly. The blond was doing well holding his own against the giant machinery, with the black man, Barret---he had grumbled the name out during the rough ride---backing him up, kneeling next to a pile of debris, and guarding an unconscious Tifa.

Taking a deep breath, the martial artist reached within himself, beginning another attempt to channel his ki… and 'slammed', once again, into a smooth, glass-like-but-not-quite barrier, barring him from his power. Growling silently in frustration, he 'groped' around the barrier, feeling it twist and fold slightly beneath his 'touch', but remaining unyielding. It had shocked him when he attempted to consciously draw from his inner reserves to battle the giant machinery, only to receive an empty slate at the heat of the moment. 

Ranma shuddered. He had been standing in front of the robot, ready to unleash a blast of power to eliminate the flaming machine before further damages could be done. He had examined his hands with bemused fascination, simply too shocked to do anything else. If the red cat hadn't body-slammed him out of the way at the last second, sacrificing its furry body to the scorching flames, the small bruise on Ranma's cheek wouldn't be the only 'souvenir' he receives from the gigantic robot.

My ki...since when?! Aargh! Later, all later... 

The martial artist grimaced and readied himself before jumping forward with a flying kick to the upper part of the machine, using one of the half-toppled motorcycles as a sprint board as he placed his weight behind the kick, slamming into the robot with enough force to sent it spinning as one of the spiked wheels fell off. Wincing at the feeling of hard metal clanging against his boots, his toes tingling from the aftershock, Ranma tumbled down to the ground, landing carefully, if not very gracefully, on his feet. 

Taking Motor Ball's new distraction, Cloud quickly charged towards it. Adrenaline pumping in Mako-enhanced blood, he rammed into the machine's side, the broadsword guiding the movements of his body. Slash after slash, elegantly made, yet just as deadly, powerful enough to create lasting after-streaks to the naked eyes as the broadsword split apart the very air around the machine, ending with a hard cross-slash to the right, the air whistling with the music of steel. 

Ranma blinked at Cloud in awe, who was breathing heavily, the sword half-dangling in his hand after the exertion of strength. "Whoa..." was the only word Ranma got out, before Motor Ball exploded in a shower of metallic debris, forcing the two to duck for cover.

"Cloud!" Aeris quickly made her way over with Red XIII--healed of his burns, and Barret, holding up a dizzy Tifa as the group reorganized themselves. 

"Well, what do we do now?" Barret inquired, rubbing his gun arm as he looked to the blond mercenary.

Ranma turned away from the discussions of Sephiroth and the Promised Land, his attention caught elsewhere. Beyond the rampart, the first rays of morning glory begin to shine, the sky lightened to a gentle pink, illuminating the landscape near and far, too beautiful for mere words to describe. Trailing the others wordlessly, he climbed down the rope out to the city gates.

His feet touched the ground in a graceful landing. Gazing around in wonder, Ranma smiled, and breathed in the air. It tasted of wilderness, moist soil, exotic flower pollens, and a sharp, fresh smell of freedom. The world has become much more promising in his eyes as his inner sense 'clicked' open.

For the first time since his rude awakening in the Shinra Headquarters to the wild chase on the highway, Ranma Saotome can hear the faint murmurs of the Planet again.

A.N I didn't have as much fun writing this chapter. Probably because of all the fighting that's suppose to be here. At least the background's out, and the story's finally going somewhere.

C & C Welcome at: yanslana@yahoo.com

Editor: The 17th Immortal

www.geocities.com/yanslana


	5. Brave New World

Castle in the Sky 

_A Ranma ½/Final Fantasy VII Crossover (With mentions of Sailor Moon)_

_Disclaimer: Not mine._

**Brave New World**

The sun shone brightly in the cerulean sky. The gentlest breeze teased his face, running its airy fingers through his hair. It felt… nice.

Cloud smiled unconsciously as he breathed in the clear air, then immediately scowled. It was getting harder, harder for him to maintain his mask of calm indifference, of cool collection, of arrogant apathy. He had been feeling… _peculiar_, ever since…

A headless body, skinless, pink flesh exposed, blue veins, red arteries like a web of grotesque network patterned all over, twisting tubes of flesh sticking out unnaturally, eyes growing where they should not be. Staring…

_Dream… darkness. Calling of… crooning… Mother?_

_Silver hair. Green eyes, cruelty reflecting in them. Madness… and the choking heat… Fire. Burning, everything's burning._

_Burning… the needle digging deeply into his arm… scream from the pain, burning. Fire, his body is on fire, burning him to a crisp. Green… a sea of green. Can't fight… too weak… spiky, long black hair… laughing blue eyes, warm smile… but who…?!_

Cloud choked back a gasp in his throat, sweating profusely. He rubbed his hands together; the skin felt clammy and cold. Swallowing softly, he tried to calm his rapidly beating heart, while continuing to maintain an outward calmness, his eyes scanning the horizons. "I d-don't," He cursed himself softly at the involuntary stutter, and commented again, "I don't see anything."

Aeris flashed him a brilliant smile, standing by his side, her cheeks flushed with excitement, eyes sparkling with happiness, evidently just as pleased as he is with their unpolluted surroundings. The flower girl had been more cheerful than usual after their hasty departure from the city, fitting in with the wilderness like a bird taking flight in the sky; she tugged on Tifa's arm to get the brunette's attention. "Me either, I guess we lost them."

"Yeah…" Tifa nodded, her eyes darting from one hill to another, scanning for movements.

It's a bit annoying, Cloud noted, to travel in a large plain/hill grounds like this, as you never knew what might be hiding behind the next patch of tall grass or low hills until you're right in front of them. And as luck would have it, not only would they have to avoid confrontations with the wild life, but also with the Shinra scouting squads crawling all over the place, _Locate and detain, he thought with a wry smile, the momentary unpleasantness from before gone from his mind, buried once again deep within his subconscious, _A good choice to split up.__

The six of them had split up immediately after the highway chase, and met up again at the edge of Midgar. After a short argument, it was decided that since he and Barret were the two most familiar with the plains-- him who had done some scouting of his own, back when he was in SOLDIER, and Barret, whom as the leader of AVALANCHE, had used Kalm as a secondary meeting ground and hideout-- that they will take charge for the flee to Kalm.

When questioned about the choice of members in the two groups, Cloud had immediately looked to Aeris. He was, is still, he noted to himself, her bodyguard. Not by the initial promise of payment, but rather the strange and rapidly developing feeling of familiarity, and his desire to protect her.

And Tifa, whom he trusted and felt such mixed emotions for, had simply walked up to him silently, leaving Barret with the two new members of their little group. The black man had grumbled at Cloud half-heartedly for sticking him with the 'talking cat' and 'Shinra experiment' and made a comment on him taking the girls, although he did not attempt to protest Tifa's decision, then left for a head start while Cloud and his group lay down a false trail for the scouting squads.

Cloud frowned a bit. He would have liked to keep an eye on one of their recent team members, Barret he can trust, kind of, because Tifa trusts him, plus he had worked with the man, knew about his positions and ideals, but Red XIII and Ranma were both unknown factors. The gunman might get a real handful if the two were spies planted by Shinra. Shaking his head, he turned to Tifa. "Well?"

Shading her eyes against the sun with a hand, Tifa brushed away a stray strand of coffee curl, "I think we're clear from the Shinra for now, we can get to Kalm by sunset tomorrow if we don't meet up with too much trouble."

Just then, a soft, yet dangerous in its presence growling alerted the three as two adult Kalm Fangs leaped into the opening from behind a small mount of dirt hill, previously hidden from the trio's view by a tall patch of ferns. The beasts snarled again loudly at the humans, baring their teeth and pawing the ground for attack. Evidently, they were not pleased with the intrusion into their territory.

Cloud sighed and shifted the large, flat-ended sword on his back, unsheathing it from the leather straps he uses to hold the Buster Sword in place. He savored the feeling of security it brought as he gripped the handle tightly, holding it in the trademark SOLDIER defense stance, the weight of the weapon resting comfortably in his hands.

Aeris stepped to his left, twirling the staff in an almost casual fashion in front of her, her dainty fingers brushing the Fire and Cure materia unconsciously as she took a defensive position, her feet spread apart slightly. While Tifa took a step to the right, giving her gloves a last minute adjustment, her ruby eyes shining with anticipation. 

"Speaking of trouble…" She trailed off suggestively, not taking her eyes off of the two beasts.

Cloud grinned despite the situation---facing one kind of the rather dangerous wildlife outside of the city, not to mention Shinra squads sweeping the plains looking for them---still, it's kind of nice… to have someone watching your back, almost like that time when…

Cloud, you and I, we're friends, aren't we?

-----------------------------------

Ranma plucked at his tunic with a frown; the blood-soaked spot was really starting to annoy him. It felt wrinkly against his skin, the half-dried blood flakes rubbing his torso, and itched uncomfortably whenever he shifts his body. Grumbling internally, he plucked at the fabric again, grimacing at the red stain as if by merely staring at it, it would go away.

Tilting his head, he looked back to the metallic, floating city, now a fading speck, a black dot on the otherwise lush green horizons. Midgar, the city was called. A place where the rich prosper above in the sky, and the poor dredging a living down beneath those 'plates'. Fitting, in a strange, twisted kind of way.

They had, after a small argument, decided to split up the party. Safer to travel in smaller numbers to avoid the search and detain units, as all of them were tired from the highway chase, conflict not something any of them needed, at least, not until they have a good rest first.

The wind whispered in his ears, bringing him another wave of soft, indistinguishable murmurs of unidentifiable words, in a language half-forgotten to the martial artist. It would be a while, he decided, before he can re-learn the knowledge to 'speak' to the Planet again. He was never very good at it since he, not being a Cetra, had none of the inborn ability gifted to communicate with the living world like the natural inhabitants, but rather an empathetic aptitude, diverted from his own studies of ki. Although the Cetra had taught him as much as they were able, and he had learned as much as he can, he was competent with understanding the Planet, but he was far from being expert enough to make the communication two-way. 

Clearing his throat, Ranma examined the small village some distance before him, for in truth, it is quite small, comparing to Midgar, or the crystal cities Neo-Serenity had constructed. Kalm was barely five-miles in radius, and most of it filled with houses that are no taller than three-stories in height, built in a way that they surrounded a circular plaza, probably the village center. Ranma muttered to himself, "So this is Kalm."

"Yes." The word came in the form of a deep voice, with a hint of growl, followed by a soft wave of feline rumbling. Red XIII looked into Ranma's eyes as he padded up to the martial artist silently, the flame on his tail burning an intense crimson as the appendage flickered around slowly in the air. "It is."

Ranma suppressed the involuntary shudder, and took a step back; he was beginning to sweat again. "Oh?!" He commented in a rather high-pitched voice, "That's great… ahaha… ahaha…" Laughing nervously, the martial artist rubbed the back of his head, tugging on the pigtail in agitation.

The two were taking a short rest near the outskirts of Kalm, waiting for Barret while he went on ahead to scout the village for Shinra activities; 'undercover', the black man had called it, because Ranma and Red XIII would stand out too much in a quiet little place like Kalm.

Ranma had taken one look at Barret, with his bulging muscles and huge gun arm, the rough look that literally screams of _Trouble! Trouble! Lots of trouble!_ and just nodded dumbly, feeling too bemused  to make any comments, and glad for a chance to rest. Conveniently forgetting the fact that a being who can evoke his worst nightmare by his mere presence will be alone with him, until now, that is.

Red XIII grumbled deeply down his throat, causing Ranma to jump again. The giant red feline looked puzzled, as confusion can be seen evident in its single left eye. Slowly the beast sat down on its haunches, and gestured with its head for Ranma to follow suit.

Gulping nervously, Ranma sat stiffly, careful to keep his eyes on the empty air above the feline's head, he could feel the sweat beginning to gather on his forehead, his skin crawling as shivers begins to run down his spine.

"You are afraid of me." It was a simple statement.

"Well… what made you say th…"

Red XIII merely gave him a look, and Ranma nodded quickly, his head bobbing up and down. "Y-e-es."

Red XIII's eyes narrowed, if he was human, the red beast would be frowning; looking down, he examined his paws, choosing the words carefully. "I understand," The beast rumbled, "That my appearance can be… alarming to humans. And there is a reasonable amount of… distrust because of what I am. But you simply _reek_ of fear around me, it is…" He placed a great emphasis on the word 'reek' and paused for a moment before speaking again, a hint of agitation in his voice, "It is most… disconcerting."

Ranma closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then another, _Calm, calm. He muttered softly, invoking the calming coolness as it enveloped him. Slowly at first, but gradually spreading from his solar plexus outwards, reaching the tips of his fingers and toes. After a few minutes of silence, Ranma released his pigtail as his shoulders hunched down to a more relaxed position, lacing his fingers together in his lap. "It's a… personal reason."_

Opening his eyes, Ranma looked at the beast in front of him, his eyes unintentionally piercing, the colors darkening to a grayish-blue. He was feeling pleasantly tranquil; the coolness tingling along his body, spreading small shivers all over. "But…" Ranma tried to frown, but found that he couldn't, as the muscles on his face felt stiff, for reasons that currently escaped him, he then tried to shrug, or at least, his shoulders tensed for a moment in an imitation of movement, "I shouldn't be."

Red XIII grumbled something deeply, his tail whipping back and forth in agitation. "This is unexpected," he muttered, getting up to four feet again to pace. The red beast took a step forward, and sniffed the air tentatively, "You even smell different," he accused.

Ranma dipped his head slightly in acknowledgement, finding his entire body somewhat stiff, unyielding to his commands; a flash of panic was quickly suppressed beneath the feeling of overwhelming coolness that has now engulfed his entire body. "It's a… meditation technique of sorts," His lips twitched for a moment, "Comes in handy at times."

"I… see." Red XIII begins to pace back and forth anew; a deep rumble bubbling up his throat, while Ranma merely followed his feline companion's movement with an unfazed gaze.

"Grandpa told me stories while I was young," Red XIII stopped his pacing, sitting down again in front of Ranma, "Myths, legends of old times, and things when life on the Planet was new, I was merely a cub then, and couldn't sleep at night." Embarrassed, Red XIII flexed a paw, "He told me…"

"He told you…?" Ranma prompted, hope welling up within him.

"He…" Red XIII shook his head, the Mythril Clip he wore tinkering musically with the movement, "Grandpa would explain this better… I… My name is Nanaki." He spoke the word with finality, eyeing Ranma cautiously.

"Ranma Saotome, Nanaki." Ranma paused, his face thoughtful. "There are many questions I have, far outweighs the answers, but I think those will have to be addressed another time."

"Another time," Red XIII echoed, a moment of understanding passed between the two. The human was strange, he smelt of an ancient, exotic scent that reminded him faintly of Cosmos Canyon, but mixed with something else, not menacing, but not very pleasant to his senses either. Pondering this new turn of event, and the promise of answers, the feline beast proceeded to examine the human in silence. 

A movement behind Ranma distracted him from the feline's thoughts. Looking up, he scanned the area, his sharp feline eye locking on the black figure waving at the two's resting place from the main road to Kalm, and the loud hollers made by the black man, "I believe Barret has finished his investigation of the village, and found the place satisfactory for our purpose." Getting up to his feet, Red XIII hopped a few steps over to said village before realizing something, and turned back to the still seated Ranma. 

"Coming?" The red beast questioned.

"Umm… yeah…" Ranma replied, feeling the beginning of panic clutching his psyche again as the coolness departs, as well as the feeling of profound embarrassment as his face begins to take on a shade of crimson, "Just one problem…"

"And that is…" Red XIII asked again, genuinely curious. 

"I can't move." With that, Ranma toppled over to his back with a notable 'clank' sound as he hit the ground, his body still frozen in the sitting position, Indian-style, with his hands in his lap.

Behind him, a giant sweatdrop rolled down Nanaki's head.

A.N. Meh, it's shorter than I originally planned it to be, and turned out to be another filler, dammit, I really wanted Ranma to start doing something. _ 

Much thanks to my editor, whose name is right below here, and SPYDERXIII, who shown me the correct way to spell 'Solar Plexus', Serafita, who made the last present-to-past-tense adjustments for me, I doubt the story would be very readable without all their help. ^_^

C & C Welcome at: yanslana@yahoo.com

Editor: The 17th Immortal

www.geocities.com/yanslana


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